Potato-digger.



H. W. HITZEMANN.

POTATO BIGGER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1912.

1,1 1 5,537. Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

2 SHEETSBHEET 1.

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7HE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. L.

H. W. HITZEMANN. POTATO BIGGER.

APPLICATION IILBD NOV. 13, 1912.

1,1 1 5,537. Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

2 SHEIBT8-SHEET 2.

/N V N TOR r ZHSMYLK L1HW M r/vzo am TH! NORRIS PETERS CO v PHOTO-Llrh I WASHINGTON. Dv c UNITED srATns PArENrorrcn HERMAN W. HITZEMANN, OF ROSELLE, ILLINOIS; i

, POTATO-BIGGER.

- Specifieationof Letters Patent. Patent d NO Originalapplication filed June 4, 1912, Serial No. 701,593. Divided and this application filed November "13, 1912. SerialNo.731,22G. V

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERMAN W. Hrrzn- MANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roselle,,in"the county. of Du Page and State of Illinois, have invented a cer,

tain new and useful Potato-Digger, of which the following is a specification.

Wy inventionrelates to improvements in potato diggers, in which laterally revolving radial arms, secured to a disk, operate in conjunction with aplowshare; and the objects ofmy invention-are:1, toloosen and raise the dirt of potato hills, together with the potatoes therein; 2, to break up such dirt, freeing the potatoes therefrom, and to throw the potatoes in lateral direction uponthe surface of the ground beside the course of the digger as it moves across the field. I attain these objects by meansof the machinery illustrated in the. accompanying" drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan new of my invention,

showing it as ready to have a team'hitched thereto and operate it;-Fig. 2 isa side elevation of the same ;-Fig. .3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and viewed in the direction ofthe arrows ;-Fig. dis a vertical section on the line 4.'-t of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5. shows detailed views of the radial arms and their connections Fig. 6 shows detailed views of the shifter and its relative parts. Fig. 7 is an elevation showing the sleeve upon which the vertical gears are mounted.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The present application was filed in combination with another application which,

on division subsequently made, was allowed cured at its ends to the rear wheels.

12 is a vertical shaft, secured at its lower end to the forward axle; 13 is a sleeve, bolted to the front end of the double bars; 14: is a bracket bolted upon the upper, enlarged part of the shaft, 12, and bearing the segment of a gear or quadrant; 15 denotes the lower end of the lever 17 extending in front of the shaft; 16 is a rod, pivoted oin lever, 17 and on the lug,' 15- the latter being secured on the frontendof the double bars;

17 is a lever, pivoted onthe bracketlhat a, polnt lndlcated. .Thls leverextends infront of the shaft, 12, and is pivoted toltherod,

16, as stated above '18 is a rod which isf-pivotedtotheleverf The lever 17 has a hand hold 20., The. y p

1?. rod, 13, is also pivoted to the plug, 120%.

18. 15a spiral spring of theusual common form, and 1t is secured aboutthe' plug 20%. This plug is fitted to engage with the;

cogs of the quadrant which is a part oft-he bracket 14. N 1 it I q 2121 are bars, boltedto the 10,

and to the plowshare, 22. v The front end of the vertically to receive the.clevis,'23, to which a double-treemay be attached.

is attached.

struction,'designed for hitching on a team to draw the digger.

25 is a shaft, to

lug, 15% is slotted v51 I i The top of the shaft, 12, bears the casting, 1 24, rigidly secured thereon. To this a pole The clevis, double-tree, and pole are each of well known comnion'con-I I the lower part of which are rigidly secured'the'radial arms, 26, and".

the hoop, 27. The sleeve, 28, is securedon the bracket, 29, which in turn -is boltedt0 5 the double bars 10.: The shaft, 25, passes through this sleeve. The beveled gear, 30,

is secured;horizontally on the top of the sl1aft2'5.jThe beveled gears, 31 and 31%,

are secured on the pivot, 32, not rigidly,"

is geared in the sides of the framework, 341,- which is bolted to the sleeve, 28,. at the is mounted on pivot, 32, and is short enough but in the manner shown below. Thls pivot to allow it to be moved thereon laterally;

The upper bar, 12, of the frame work, 34, has certain vertical notches, The lever 36 is pivoted on the sleeve, 35, and isswung laterally on a pivot attaching it to the'bar, 4C2. At its lower end this lever is pivoted on the sleeve, 35. i

37 is a locking device of well known, common construction having a hand-hold, 37. and being pivoted to the lever, 36 and being formed pin-like at itslower end, soit can be dropped into the notches 343;, in the bar, I

42, by manipulating the hand-hold 37 g.

The vertical gears above described areso located that they can be made to engage with the horizontal gear, 30, by the action of the lever, 36.

The sprocket wheel, 38, is rigidly secured to the left rear wheel of the digger. The sprocket wheel, 39, is rigidly secured on the left end of the pivot, 32. The. sprocket chain, 40, connects with the wheels. A seat, 4L1, for the driver, is bolted to the cross bar, which is bolted to the double bars 10 near their rear end, and is so located that the driver has within his reach the handles of the levers 17'and 36.

To operate my invention a team is hitched to the digger by means of the double-tree and pole above named, which are both of well-known common construction; the driver, mounted on his seat employs the handle, 17, with its spiral spring, 18-}, to depress the plowshare to the right level to bringits point below the potatoes in the hills. The shifting mechanism, 34%, is disengaged from the cross piece, 42, of the frame-like construction. The upright lever, 36, is moved toward the left, and thus the left vertical gear, 317;, engages with the horizontal gear, 30. The team is started, the plow turns upward the potato hills, and the sprocket wheels cause the left vertical gear to revolve, and this, en-

'- gaging with the horizontal gear above shown, the latter revolves, andby its connection above shown, causes the radial arms to revolve, which pulverize the dirt and throw the potatoes outside upon the surface of the groundf To discontinue the operation of the digger, first, raise the plowshare a sufficient height above the surface of the ground and secure it thus by means of the quadrant gear and its connection above shown, then by, disengaging the above gears, the revolutions of the radial arms will cease, and placing the vertical shifting lever at exactly the middle point of the bar, 42, on

7 which the lever is moved, and securing it by its clutch, the vertical gears will revolve as the sprocket wheels go around, when the digger is drawn forward, but the rest of the radial mechanism will remain stationary.

Sometimes it may be necessary to reverse the action of the radial arms. To do this, the right gear is moved into engagement with the horizontal gear, when it is obvious the reverse action will occur.

I am aware that other potato diggers intermediate the front and rear wheels, a-

disk secured to the lower end of the vertical shaft and having radially extending free arms, a gear secured to the upper end of the shaft, a horizontally arranged shaft mounted in brackets supported by the main frame, a shiftable sleeve on the horizontally arranged shaft, gears mounted on the sleeve,

a lever en a in the sleeve between the ears {'3 z: 2: b

and adapted to shift the sleeve so as to bring either gear thereon into engagement with the gear on the vertically arranged shaft, a sprocket wheel on the horizontally arranged shaft, another sprocket wheel on one of the wheels of the digger and a sprocket chain connecting the sprocket wheels, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I hereby subscribe my name and aflix my seal to the foregoing specification at Chicago, Illinois, this 8th day of November, A. D. 1912.

HERMAN W. HITZEMANN. 1. 8.]

lVitnesses:

MARSHALL AMBERG, JOHN H. HoeLUND.

' Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

